AIRS Restructuring Controversy: Disengaged Workers Seek Soludo’s Intervention

By Our Reporter

Disengaged staff of the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AIRS) have appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to review their dismissal following a restructuring exercise that involved a competency assessment conducted in partnership with consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

The affected workers say the decision has raised concerns over due process and the welfare of long-serving personnel impacted by the reform programme.
The affected workers were retrenched after failing a strategic tax administration examination organised as part of reforms aimed at strengthening the efficiency and professionalism of the state’s revenue collection system.
An internal memo dated February 18, 2026, issued by the Administration Department of AIRS and signed by Nwalusi Ifeanyi on behalf of the Chairman and Chief Executive, directed the disengagement of Community Revenue Officers and other staff who did not meet the required pass mark in the computer-based test administered during the exercise.

Part of the memo instructed the affected staff to hand over all official materials, including identity cards and work tools, to the Administration and Human Resources Department, noting that the retrenchment would take immediate effect after the handover process.
Reacting to the development, some of the affected workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, appealed to the state government to reconsider the decision, noting that many of them had served the agency for several years.
They argued that the examination was the first such assessment for many staff members and suggested that additional training and professional development programmes would better support the reform objectives of the revenue service.
The workers also questioned the implementation of the assessment process, noting that ongoing tax administration reforms across Nigeria emphasise the operational autonomy of state revenue agencies across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking on behalf of the disengaged workers, a stakeholder, Chukwuebuka Okeke, said the group was seeking a review of the disengagement exercise to ensure fairness for long-serving employees.

Okeke explained that the restructuring of the revenue service was intended to reposition the agency as a more professional, performance-driven institution, similar to reforms implemented in other states where revenue agencies operate with clear performance targets, improved salary structures and professional certification requirements from bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
According to him, such reforms in other states were implemented with transition periods that allowed existing staff to acquire the necessary professional qualifications while continuing their duties.

Okeke, however, alleged that administrative challenges within AIRS during the tenure of the former chairman, Dr Greg Ezeilo, contributed to the issues currently affecting the agency.
He claimed that during his tenure, Ezeilo introduced Onyeka Amara as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Technical Matters, presenting her as a professional with experience in revenue administration. According to Okeke, Amara was later identified as the chairman’s spouse, a relationship he said was not disclosed to the government or staff at the time of her appointment.
Okeke alleged that the arrangement raised governance concerns within the agency, with several departmental heads reportedly sidelined in operational decisions while the agency’s activities were largely coordinated by the former chairman and his aide.

He further claimed that the development contributed to internal administrative challenges within the revenue service.
Okeke and some of the disengaged workers have therefore called on the state government to review the circumstances surrounding the restructuring exercise and to recall staff who were affected by the disengagement.
They also urged the governor to remove Onyeka Amara, the former SSA on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and currently Director of Direct Tax Assessment, in order to restore transparency and confidence within the revenue agency.

Efforts to reach Dr Greg Ezeilo and Onyeka Amara for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
When contacted, the Anambra State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Chiamaka Nnake, said her ministry does not directly supervise the operations of the state revenue service.
However, the Commissioner for Finance, Okafor Moses Izuchukwu, confirmed that the assessment exercise was part of the restructuring process and noted that the affected staff did not meet the required performance threshold during the test and interview stages.

The situation emphasises the broader challenges that can accompany institutional reforms in public revenue administration, particularly as state governments intensify efforts to improve internally generated revenue through professionalisation, stronger governance structures and enhanced operational efficiency.